It has an irregular shore line with large points and bays ranging from 4 feet to 170 feet of depth. It receives much less fishing pressure than Mille Lacs Lake. Two of the premier ice fishing "hot spots" of Pine Point and Grand View Flats are just minutes from Brindley's Harbor Resort. Each persons daily perch limit is 20 fish and you may have up to 40 perch in your possession.

Brindley's ice houses are heated, lighted, and comfortably hold 4-5 anglers each. Additionally our guides employ several two person portable day houses to help you stay with the fish schools and still have shelter. If the lake roads are snowed over we provide transportation to your ice house via utility snowmobiles.

Our full time on ice guides are led by Greg and Tim Campbell (resort owner family members), and Mike Bridges, a 22 year full time employee. Mike is often the focus of attention for our summer visitors when cleaning fish. He can professionally fillet a fish about every 11 seconds! We host a maximum of about 25 angling guests at a time so the guides, (and our other staff in support roles), can continue to provide their famous Brindley's service at a personalized level.

A TYPICAL DAY

A typical day starts between 7:00 and 8:00 am with a continental breakfast in the lodge. By this time the guides have been on the lake to warm the permanent ice houses and open their fishing holes. About 8:00, conditions permitting, guests can follow the guides to the ice houses in their own vehicles. After opening a series of fresh ice holes in the selected area, the guides spend time fishing with, coaching, instructing and enjoying the company of our guests.

If catching is difficult or if large schools of fish are not evident the guides will set off to try and locate active fish. Finding active fish for our guests is our top priority. On a lake with 112,000 acres this is both a challenge and an opportunity. If the guides are successful in locating a more productive area, they will return, advise all of the possibilities, and help guests move and get set up in a new target area. This involves drilling 6 - 10 new holes per angler and setting up portable shelters. We feel that moving frequently adds considerably to everyone's overall success but in the heart of a northern Minnesota winter the logistics can become difficult. Anglers with their own portable shelters, ice augers, and ATV's or snowmobiles are encouraged to bring them.

Generally our fishing sites are within 3-9 miles of the resort so guests can return to the resort for lunch if they wish. The fishing day ends about 4:30. Perch seldom bite well after dark and at our latitude, "dark" equates to about 5:00 PM.

At days end guests can settle in at the lodge or in their deluxe housekeeping home for relaxation while the guides fillet and package the days catch. Almost all our guests have good success and enjoy the excellent facilities at Brindley's Harbor Resort. Much of the fun of course is simply enjoying the wonders of Leech Lake in the company of friends and family.

We work very hard to provide each guest with a high level of personalized, on ice, service. To ensure this, we limit the number of guests to about 25 anglers.

2018 SEASON RECAP

In past years, except when the temperatures were sub minus 20 it was unusual to have more than two or three busted days a month when very few keeper size perch were caught. 2018 was an exception, with several 2 or 3 day cycles each month when guests struggled to catch anything. Our guides and guests saw lots of fish with their electronics but a hot bite period was rare. We hope 2019 brings more success. DNR surveys do indicate the perch population is declining,(probably, some theorize because of strong walleye predation).

As was the case in the last few seasons, guests did catch Walleye. This is consistent with the very good walleye success of the past summers. For the 2019 ice fishing season we plan to focus a bit more on walleye, supplementing our traditional perch only bias.

* For guest traveling long distances, we also offer an option to arrive in the evening, spend the first night at our (tax included) $45 per person per night "motel" rate and the start fishing at 8:00 the first morning. Ask about details if this option is of interest.

Minnesota has an on-line electronic License Identification Number program. Brindley's no longer sells licenses. You can purchase your license via telephone by calling 888-665-4236. You will need to have a credit card (MN residents also need their drivers license #) and you will be issued a ID # which authorizes you to fish immediately. Alternatively you can still purchase a license at larger area sporting goods retailers

In addition to a license, you need to bring groceries, personal items including bath towels and bath soap, fishing tackle and your choice of live bait.

There are lodging only dates open in late March, after we end the guided operations. Click on the "Availability" chart to view dates yet open. There is usually viable ice fishing on Leech Lake thru March (and even early April without the use of trucks or automobiles).

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WINTER ACCOMMODATIONS

Brindley's lodging facilities are outstanding in winter! Our 3, 4 or 5 bedroom luxury log homes are the highest quality rentals in the Leech Lake area. Visiting guests have first option for the same lodging and (approximate) calendar dates the following year. If a departing guest has not renewed a reservation the lodging unit is available to others. Click on our Availability Calendars to see current openings. Click for Winter Rates.

Our Oak Ridge House is a deluxe year 'round home well suited as a base for enjoying a north woods winter. There is a full kitchen, 3 baths, 2 stone fireplaces, a dish washer, and a clothes washer and drier on the lower level to deal with wet clothing. Seven physical beds (plus hide-a-beds) per unit. TV.

We winterized our popular summer "Cottage B" for winter use in 1999. It has a full kitchen and three bedrooms, (a queen bed in one bedroom and two twins each in the other bedrooms). There is also a hide-bed-couch in the living room to bring the total sleep capacity to six. There is a full bath and an additional 1/2 bath. The interior is knotty pine and it has a Heat-N-Glo glass front stove to provide a warm glow to the cozy north woods ambiance. TV, WiFi.

New in 2011. Five bedrooms per unit. May be rented as individual five bedroom units or a combined 10 bedroom complex. Each unit features a fireplace, five baths, two dishwashers, two refrigerators, clothes washer/dryer, and many upscale amenities. Nine physical beds per unit. TV, WiFi.

New in 2002. It has three spacious bedrooms plus a loft and will comfortably sleep 7. It features a fireplace, 2 full baths, a luxury 2 person whirlpool, dishwasher, and many wonderful amenities. In winter cottage 15 is reserved for non anglers only. No Smoking.

New in 2003. Four bedrooms per unit. May be rented as individual four bedroom units or a combined 8 bedroom complex. Each unit features a fireplace, three baths, a luxury two person whirlpool, dishwasher, clothes washer/dryer, and many wonderful amenities. Six physical beds per unit. TV, WiFi. This is definitely not "roughing it".